NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1437
SPONSOR: Englebright (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
prohibiting the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the course of hunting
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To prohibit the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for hunting wildlife.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
This bill would amend § 11-0103 and § 11-0901 of the Environmental
Conservation Law.
JUSTIFICATION:
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) hunting would allow hunters to use
remote-controlled, camera-equipped aircraft to locate wildlife in order
to shoot and kill them. Alaska enacted a ban after wildlife officials
learned that a moose was killed by a hunter using a UAV. Colorado and
Montana have also outlawed this practice. In addition, several other
states have included prohibitions in existing regulations.
There is only anecdotal evidence of UAVs being used for hunting, but
enacting a ban now will help avoid problems later. Federal regulators
estimate that as many as 7,500 small commercial drones could be flying
within five years.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2015-16: A.5435 - Referred to Environmental Conservation Committee.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1437
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 12, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, JAFFEE, COLTON, COOK, McDONOUGH,
ZEBROWSKI, BENEDETTO, M. G. MILLER, ROSENTHAL -- Multi-Sponsored by --
M. of A. FITZPATRICK, GLICK, TITONE -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
prohibiting the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the course of hunt-
ing
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 11-0103 of the environmental conservation law is
2 amended by adding a new subdivision 33 to read as follows:
3 33. "Unmanned aerial vehicle" means any aircraft that is operated
4 without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on
5 the aircraft.
6 § 2. Section 11-0901 of the environmental conservation law is amended
7 by adding a new subdivision 2-a to read as follows:
8 2-a. No person shall hunt or take wildlife with the aid of an unmanned
9 aerial vehicle.
10 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05401-01-7
